Red-light cameras await approval; meeting set for Friday

City officials have been working for six months to gain approval from the Alabama Department of Transportation to install red-light cameras at five intersections monitored by the state.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

City officials have been working for six months to gain approval from the Alabama Department of Transportation to install red-light cameras at five intersections monitored by the state.City Engineer David Griffin said it usually takes about 90 days to gain ALDOT approval to work on or improve a state-monitored intersection.He said that's why he demanded — and was granted — a face-to-face meeting with state engineers last week.The meeting is expected to take place on Friday. “What we're being told is there are those in the ALDOT central office in Montgomery who have some concerns,” Griffin said.Local ALDOT officials cited several possibilities for the delay, from scheduling conflicts to a heavy workload.“I am not sure exactly what the hesitancy to permit it was or if is just a matter of workload,” said L. Dee Rowe, head of ALDOT's Fifth Division Office on Skyland Boulevard, “but there will be a meeting Friday with the city and the permitting office in our central office to move this forward.”The city engineer said he has attempted to learn what the concerns might be from those at ALDOT's Fifth Division Office but has yet to gain an understanding.“Nobody can answer that question,” Griffin said.The process of activating a video monitoring system for intersections where motorists are prone to run red lights began in 2010, when the Alabama Legislature granted the city of Tuscaloosa the authority to install the devices.In January 2012, the City Council approved a tentative contract to install and operate its camera system to Gatso USA Inc., which was chosen in a competitive bidding process over two other firms that offer similar services. In April 2012, Gatso oversaw a study of several intersections across the city to determine which intersections most deserved to be monitored.Based on that survey, Gatso and city representatives completed a plan to install cameras at 15 approaches to six intersections across the city. All but one fell under the jurisdiction of ALDOT.By February 2013, the plan had been submitted to ALDOT for approval. It took until August to clear the district and divisional ALDOT offices and reach the state level, where its approval remains pending.Griffin said he does not think political pressure or the influence of certain elected officials has had any effect on the approval delay. He cited active camera systems in Montgomery and Selma.Rather, he said he trusts that ALDOT representatives are being sincere when they blame the holdup on scheduling conflicts and a heavy workload for local and state ALDOT engineers.“I am told — and I believe the Fifth Division officer personnel when they tell me — the only issue here is the fact that the engineers' schedules in Montgomery have not allowed them to get to Tuscaloosa at the same time for a meeting,” Griffin said. “It's been difficult to schedule.”Difficulties aside, Griffin said he is committed to completing the installation of the system and pointed to the number of violators the city's only active traffic camera nabbed during its first month of operation.Located on the eastern approach to 15th Street's intersection with Sixth Avenue/Dr. Edward Hillard Drive, this camera — which has a yellow light that holds for about 3.8 seconds — documented 306 red light running violations from Sept. 1-Sept. 30.“Issuing 306 citations with one camera is a statement of how severe red light running has become,” Griffin said. “What the city wants to do with this automated camera system is to raise drivers' awareness of just how bad this problem has become and make us all more mindful of the fact that when that light turns red, you need to stop because if you don't, you're endangering not only your life but that of others.”Once approved by ALDOT, the following intersections are expected to have cameras monitoring red light running:-Interstate 359 and Skyland Boulevard-McFarland Boulevard and Skyland Boulevard-McFarland Boulevard and James I. Harrison Jr. Parkway-University Boulevard and Lurleen Wallace Boulevard North-University Boulevard and Lurleen Wallace Boulevard South-15th Street and Sixth Avenue/Dr. Edward Hillard Drive